Engine-starter.



G; J. sro'HRER. ENGINE STARTER.

4AIPLIATIOR' FILED MAY` 17, 1911. I

' Patented May `27, 1913.

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v v 17A- ATTORNEYS G. J. SPOHRER.

ENGINE STARTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 17, 1911.

Patented May 27, 19,13.

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TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

l GREGORY JOI-IN SPOHRER, 0F FRANKLIN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WILSON MOTOR STARTER COMPANY, OF FRANKLIN, PENNSYLVANIA.

` ENG-NE-STRTER.

fabrication filed May 17, 1911. serial 110.627,653.

To all whom @'25 may concern Be it known that I, GBEGORY\J-\SBO11RER, a citizen of the Unitedv States, and a\resident of Franklin, in the county of Venangdand State of Pennsylvania, `have invented a new and Improved Engine-Starter, following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to a new and improved form of4 engine starter, and more particularly relates to means for turning over the internal combustion engine of an automobile.

An object of my invention is to provide a device which Iwill eliminate thel objectionable features of the old cranking means for lturning over theengine by the use of a compressed fluid.

A further object of my invention is to provide a means for starting the. engine by merely actuating a lever placed within convenient reach of the driver.

A further object of my invention is to provide an engine starter, which will be positive and automatic in its action, and whichis made of relatively few parts, simple in construction and operation.

having a blade movable in a cylinder.

l attain the above outlined objects by providing a clutch to engage. the engine shaft, which clutch lis mounted on a shalft blade is actuated by compressed Huid ad- .mitted to the cylinder through suitable ports, to rotate the engine shaft through one revolution 4or suiiicient tostart the sparking in the explosion chamber common to engines of this character.

With the above and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafter appear, the present invention lconsists in certain novel details of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out. in the appended claims.

Reference is to he had to-the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this speciication, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures, and in whichv Figure 1 is a side elevation of a preferred embodiment of my invention in .position on an automobile shown in outline; Fig. 2 is an enlarged front elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1, parts being broken away to show of which th`e.\

heads of the cylinder,

head, and so' disposed wi t-he internal details; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section take-itin aplane indicated by the Patented May 27,1913.

line 3--3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a front eleva- .n

tion f the cylinder head and attached spring, llooking 1n the direction indicated by the arrdvv 1n Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. i but shown at the rear of th .cylinder in a direction opposite to that shown in Eig. 4.

' Described morel in detail, I have shown an automobile of the general construction, applied to'which is@i preferred embodiment of my new. and improved engine starter.

In the front end of the engine shaft 6 is attached a crown head `7 coacting with a crown head 8, to form a one-way clutch 9. The crown head 8 constitutes one end of a sleeve 10, fastened to a shaft 11 by means `of a key 12. Forming a bearing for the shaft 11, `are the heads 16 and 17 of the cylinder 18. Rigidly mounted on the shaft 11 and turning therewith, is'an arm 19 extending .from head to 'head of they cylinder and radially disposed therewith', the outer end of which arm is oifset, as shown at 20. Disposed with this offset portionisf a packing 21 fastened to saidl., offset portion 20 by means of a plate ,22S this construction, it will be seen that a fluid tight packing is placed between the arm 19 and the side of the cylinder 18. The inner end of the arm 19 is formedinto an enlarged extension or hub 23, the ends of which extension abut the to form a shoulder at each end, to preventend play ofthe shaft.

Rigidly mounted* within the cylinder and fastened to the ,s1de thereof by means of screws 24, is a radially extending fixed abutment 25, the inner end 26` ofwhich yhas extending therefrom, a ,packing 27, an extended part of which hub 23, to form a fluid-tight packing between said abutment and said hub in a manner similar to the packing construction at tdhe pluter end of the arm 1 9 described in eta'. i

Extending `from the lower portion of the`v rear cylinder head 16 and rigidly ailixed thereto and extending parallel with the shaft 11, is a bracket 28 havinga horizontally-disppsed incline 29 at its outer end,

saidincline, being disposedlin vertical aline ment with the crown head 8 and adapted toengage a lug 30 extendin from said crown packing engages the reference to said lie croivn head that the lug positioned on the incline Will disengage the head 7 from the head 8 :and accordingly disengage theshaftj l1 from the engine shaft 6, and this is the position in which these parts are normally disposed. vThe inner end of the shaft 11 is recessed at 31, in which recess is disposed a other, to revolyethe engine shaft 6.y

The front -head 17 has extending radially upward from the shaft l1, a hollow boss 33 .constituting a valve casing, the upper outer end of which is screw-threaded, as lshown :at 35, which screivfthread engages a `hollow nipple 36. and constitutes .the -.bearing for the upper end of a valvecompressio-n .spring 37, the lower end of which bears on the head 38 of a valvestem .39. The lewe-rend 40 of the valve stem 39 rides on t-he shaft 11 and is adapted to be forced by the spring 37 into a flattened recess 41 disposed in the periph-A ery ofthe shaft 1-1 in vertical xalinement with said valve stem. The valve -stem .39 is reduced, asshown at 42, i'n line with which reduced portion is lanloutlet 43, which out let is. connected by a .pipe 44 ,to an inlet 45 .extending through the side of the cylinder 18 between the moving arm 19 ,and the abutment 25.

Extending from -the aperture 46 in vthe nipple 36, is a pipe connection 47 leading to an o`utlet48 of afthreeovay cylindrical valve 49, which valve Vis actuated 'by a 'bell y.crank lever 50, one arm of lwhich oonstitutesa hand leverl 51. The other arm 52 of the bell .crank has connected to its outer end ,a tension spring 53, which spring is carried by the framework of theautomobile, so as to retain thc stem .54 .of :the valve 4.9 in ,the

position shown in Fig. 2; A second opening of the valve 49 leads .by means of -tubing 56 to 'a compressed air or .other fluid Areservoir 57 disposed .at any conuenientpoint on the mach inc. A ilu-id outlet 58 in the Valve 44 luf-rei nl cforc described.

.Mtach-.er'l to the front of the `boss is a pin C() 'fastened to which is one end of a .spiral spring- 91, the inner end ofwhich .spi-infr is attached lo the front end of the 49 leads by means of a pipe 59 to the pipe shaft ll by int-aus nl" a rivet. 92. This spring is noi-mall;v in tumult-rl condition and as said spring is stronger than the spring' 32, ity will rendre ilu shall ll lliscngagingthc heads 'l' and 8 ol the clutch 9 by causing the lug 39 tov ride down the incline 29, thereby compressing the spring 32.

Raisin the lever 51 will cause compressed Huid to ow from the reservoir 57 through the pipe 56, valve 49, Ipipe connection 47, aperture 46 and nipple 36, about the head .38, through the outlet 43 and pipe 44and into the cylinder 18 through the inlet As this inlet is .disposed between.

sha-ft- 11 Will `be connected-to the engi,neshaft *,6 by means of a clutch 9, thereby starting' .the engine by the revolution of the .en-gine shaft, :as is noiv connionly ,done .by a 'hand crank. Just before .the arm 19 has made 'a complete revolution, the recess 41 will come beneath the .end 40 of the valve stem 39,*-permitting the spring 37 to force fthe head 38 into engagement with the `valve seat ,thereby 4shut-ting 0.1i' the ,passage of `compressed .fluid .through the pipe 44 and through .the inlet 45, and the momentum ofthe arm 19 even after the supply .of compressed .air has :been

shut off, will carry thearm 19 .beyond gthe .outlet 63 disposed in .the -cylinder 18 on the side of the ab tment 25 opposite -the side containing the inlet-45. By this means, the

air in the -cylinder is exhausted to the ynormal outside pressure. This movement of the. shaft 11- Winds up the spring 61,-'but as soon as the pressure of fluid in the cylinder has been reduced, the spring 31 acts to return`the arm 19 to the position shown in Fig. 2, again causing the .lug 30 to ride down the incline and thereby disenga'ging the members of the clutch 9. At the same time, .the spring 53 acts on xthe lever 50, .returning the stem 54 to the position shown in Fig-2,

` permitting -the air between the abutmentand the arm 19 to escape through the pipes 44 and 59 and theoutlet 63 in the valve 49,

and ,placing the entire deLVice in position ready to repeat the above described .cycle of operation.

Many changes could be made .in the above construction and many a .parently widely different embodiments o this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof. Itis intended that all matL lters contained herein in the above `description or shown in the accompanying drawings, shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in `a limiting sense.l It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is merely intended to cover all the generic and specific features of the invention herein. described, and to cover the full scope of the invention, which, as a matter of language. 'might be said to fall therebetween, and that materials, sizes and relativities of parts are non-essential, except as called for in the claims.

Iextending through said -revolubly mounted on' said shaft in `said claimI as newl and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. In an engine starterfan engine shaft, a cylinder having a revoluble shaft mounted therein,'said last-mentioned shaft being in alinement With said engine shaftand adapted to engage the same, an arm rigidly attached to said revoluble shaft Within said cylinder, a compressed Huid reservoir, fluidconducting means extending from said reservoir to said cylinder, .and a controlling valve disposed in said fluid-conducting means and actuated by said revoluble shaft, to admit compressed luid to said cylinder, to rotate said armf'and engine shaft.

2. In an engine starter, a cylinder, a shaft cylinder, said arm having ya limited movenient, a compressed Huid-'conducting means leading to said cylinder, and a valve controlling the admission of said compressed fluid to said cylinder,'the valve stem riding on said shaft, said shaft having a recess therein to receive said stein, and thereby to automatically shut oli' the'admission' of said fluid to said cylinder when said arm approaches the limit of its movement.

3. In an engine starter, i revolving shaft in line With said engine shaft and normally disconnected therefrom, a one-Way clutch adapted to connect said shafts, resilient means carried by said revolving shaft tending to bring the partsof said clutch into engagement, means to rotate said revolving shaft to permit said resilient means to act, resilient means put under ten-r,

sion by rotation ofthe revolving shaft when driven `by said rotating means but stronger cylinder, an arm .tened portion, to

vthe engine shaft, a mechanism, a three-way valve disposed ad- `jacent thel operator,

an engine shaft, al

`with the valve on the ing throughl the heads 'of said cylinder, one

head being enlarged to form a valve casing,

a valve controlling the admission of uid to.

said cylinder mounted in said casing, said valve having a valve stem riding on said shaft, to normally maintain saidy valve in open position, said shaft having aflattened portion in `alinement with said 'valve stem, and means forcing said stem into said flatbring said valve to the closed position.' v

,5. In an engine starter, in combination, a fluid-actuating mechanism adapted to turn valve carried by said a 'fluid connection between one outlet of said three-Way valve and .the vvalve on the mechanism, a connection from a compressed fluid reservoir' leading to an inlet in said three-way valve, land a iuid connection With the third opening of saidvalve, said last-'mentioned Huid connection bifurcated, forming a fluid connection with the mechanism and mechanism.

In y.testimony whereof I have signed my name to this speciiication in the .presence .of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

GREGORY JOHN eroi-inne.'

lVitnesses AVllmrirnnn JOHNSON, 'H. F. OSMER.

Copie-s of this patentmay be obtained for ve cents eachf-hy addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

i Washington, 6;

forming a connection 'l 

